After hiring over 500, company to hold job fair March 8
By Giavonni Nickson
Amazon has hired over 500 employees since its delivery station opened last year in Gary and plans to hire more. The City of Gary and Amazon will partner on Friday, March 8, to host a hiring fair offering transportation, distribution, and logistics job opportunities.
The fair at Gary ArtHouse, 411 E. 5th Avenue, will also offer potential candidates an opportunity to sign up for Amazon’s “Customer Service and Soft Skills Workshop.”
Amazon’s delivery station, located at the former TradeWinds building at 15th and Texas Street, is a warehouse for local shipping. Its operations include sorting and delivery of packages to customers from the Gary location.
Amazon has been placing 24/7 last mile carrier sites, like the one in Gary, all over the country. These delivery sites help to improve the network of distribution to Amazon Prime and all other customers.
Since opening its doors in Gary, Amazon has hired driver trainers, part-time assistant managers, full-time assistant managers, shift assistants, station operations managers, assistant managers and seasonal delivery associates, area managers and shift managers for logistics.
“The Amazon delivery station is consistent with the city’s economic development plan to have more warehouse, transportation facilities, and other logistics operations to locate in the city,” stated Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson. “We are happy to partner with Amazon to offer continued employment opportunities for our residents. The partnership is a good fit for the city as it also enhances the potential growth of small business and entrepreneurship.”
Gary residents interested in driving trucks, buses, or vans are encouraged to attend the March 8 event from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Other participating companies at the fair include DriveCo, Schneider, and 160 Driving Academy.
Amazon’s hiring adds to the growing list of job opportunities for residents of Gary and Northwest Indiana. The City of Gary anticipates job opportunities from existing and new business partnerships.
The Alliance Steel Corporation move to Gary will bring up to 130 jobs over the next two years. Additional jobs are expected in a subsequent project with Alliance.
Fulcrum BioEnergy will generate hundreds of jobs in the region, creating 160 full-time operational jobs and 900 construction jobs. Last year Fulcrum BioEnergy selected Gary, Indiana for the location of its Centerpoint BioFuels Plant, which will convert municipal solid waste into low-carbon, renewable transportation fuel.
“While our overall work is to improve Gary’s economy, included among our priorities is to see a reduction in unemployment numbers,” said Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson. “We know that attracting businesses to the community provides a boost to the city’s economy and is an integral key to creating jobs for our residents. We have been working to streamline our business processes, and we have seen improvement in a more efficient workflow. We are happy to announce new job opportunities in the city.”
The City of Gary offers active initiatives to help prepare residents for emergent job opportunities in the city. The Gary4Jobs initiative continues to partner with businesses to provide job training for residents.
Amazon officials are planning an additional hiring event for April, and their annual job fair is scheduled for June.
For more information about the Amazon Hiring Fair on Friday and other job opportunities in Gary, contact Diana Sandlin via email: [email protected] or at 219-881-1312.
Giavonni is a passionate freelance writer native of Gary IN. She covers business, politics, and community schools for the Chicago/Gary Crusader.
